I named him Frisky. He was the big fox squirrel that lived in the woods on the ridge. He would dart across the driveway and eat from the bird feeder, and dart back as if he knew he was in dangerous territory. He never was a problem and he was the only squirrel brave enough to come to the bird feeder. My husband would say "he's gotta eat too". So he got "named" and became part of the Redtail Ridge gang.
Our first real encounter with him was this last summer. I was having truck troubles, but, planned a trip to Green Bay with my daughter anyway. As we backed out, the whole truck lurched and sounded like there was big trouble under the hood. We limped it over to my husbands office 4 minutes away, traded vehicles, and off we went. My husband drove it home at lunch time, then back to work, and came home at 7:00 p.m. He now had time to check under the hood. He no sooner had the hood up and a big fat squirrel jumped just past him! ......little heart check there. It was Frisky. He was in the engine of the truck all day!
We grew fond of watching Frisky try to plant acorns in our lawn, and steal chicken grain from the garage if we left the door open. We don't know if he was just old, got caught outside his regular hole as it got dark or what, but in the terrible cold snap we had a few days ago, Frisky didn't make it. He froze to death. Of course Billy found him, frozen in a position that looked like he was trying to keep warm. Well Frisky, we totally enjoyed your time here.......I'm thinking there has to be some progeny in that woods. We'll see if any are brave enough to come across the driveway :-)
Monday
Saturday
Fly Traps & Little Boys
Summer is here and that means back to doing fly patrol. Fly control is so-o-o important if you have animals. I can remember many years back when we were having a family gathering at our place in the middle of summer. The flies were horrible! Almost impossible to have a picnic. .....and the flies in the house! I remember blaming the farm just down the road. Well, guess what, it wasn't the farm, it was my own chicken coop! Flies breed so fast that if you don't have a plan against them, they will win.
I won't spray poison everywhere. There is a natural solution that works great for me. Rescue disposable fly traps attract and catch tons of flies, the whole bag will be full, and then I tape the top and throw it in the outside garbage, just before pick-up day. I have tried other brand names but keep coming back to Rescue for getting the job done. At the height of fly season I will change the traps (I usually have 3 out at a time between the ducks and chickens) every 2 weeks. I buy a whole summers worth the minute they go on sale.
There is one disadvantage. There is a smell. That's what attracts the flies. I just hang them on the far side of the chicken coop and deal with the smell. It ends up only being a wiff here and there -- I can deal with that. Flies I can't deal with! It is far enough away from the house that the smell is not a problem at all for our picnics.
Last year I had a very full, smelly, fly trap and I was getting ready for all the kids and grand kids to come for Sunday supper. I decided I needed to change that trap, so, I took it down and placed it at the side of the chicken coop while I finished up doing something else. Of course I forgot about it.
The grand kids love "feeding" the chickens. They are checking them out right away when they come. Well, Logan, then 2 1/2, saw my fly trap on the ground. There are always flies buzzing around in it. So, what does a little boy do? You got it. He lifted that leg so far and stamped on that fly trap so hard!! (Had to "kill" the flies...lol...) That trap burst. Oh did he smell! I could see it all happening in slow motion but there was nothing I could do about it. It sure wasn't fun cleaning him up, but, I can't help laughing every time I think of it. He was so young I don't suppose he will remember, but, Grandma will tell him the story........
.....dr momi
I won't spray poison everywhere. There is a natural solution that works great for me. Rescue disposable fly traps attract and catch tons of flies, the whole bag will be full, and then I tape the top and throw it in the outside garbage, just before pick-up day. I have tried other brand names but keep coming back to Rescue for getting the job done. At the height of fly season I will change the traps (I usually have 3 out at a time between the ducks and chickens) every 2 weeks. I buy a whole summers worth the minute they go on sale.
There is one disadvantage. There is a smell. That's what attracts the flies. I just hang them on the far side of the chicken coop and deal with the smell. It ends up only being a wiff here and there -- I can deal with that. Flies I can't deal with! It is far enough away from the house that the smell is not a problem at all for our picnics.
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| Grandson Logan |
The grand kids love "feeding" the chickens. They are checking them out right away when they come. Well, Logan, then 2 1/2, saw my fly trap on the ground. There are always flies buzzing around in it. So, what does a little boy do? You got it. He lifted that leg so far and stamped on that fly trap so hard!! (Had to "kill" the flies...lol...) That trap burst. Oh did he smell! I could see it all happening in slow motion but there was nothing I could do about it. It sure wasn't fun cleaning him up, but, I can't help laughing every time I think of it. He was so young I don't suppose he will remember, but, Grandma will tell him the story........
.....dr momi
Thursday
Grow Goji Berry
Gogi berry info:
-the berries are extremely high in antioxidants.
-it is a deciduous, woody, perennial.
-likes lots of sun.
-plant it in a good quality garden soil but with enough sand in it for good drainage.
-a full size shrub can grow to 8 ft.
-it won't bear fruit till it's third year.
-I'm planting mine in containers till the second or third year. Good Luck!
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| Buy organic dried Goji Berries |
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| Soak the berries in water. |
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| Squeeze out the seeds and let them dry on paper towel for a few days. |
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| Plant the seeds. (They look like sesame seeds) They will grow! Goji berries are good for you! |
-the berries are extremely high in antioxidants.
-it is a deciduous, woody, perennial.
-likes lots of sun.
-plant it in a good quality garden soil but with enough sand in it for good drainage.
-a full size shrub can grow to 8 ft.
-it won't bear fruit till it's third year.
-I'm planting mine in containers till the second or third year. Good Luck!
Wednesday
Way Good Homemade Bread
If I made this too often it wouldn't be good. ..... for the hips I mean. That's why I got rid of my bread machine. It was too easy to make the bread and we ate way too much of it. This tastes WAY good, so it's only made once in a while. It takes a certain amount of effort, I have to plan ahead, but, that way we don't over do it. The other reason I don't make it too often is because I make it with all white flour. You can use a couple cups of whole wheat in it instead of white if you want. I find it just makes it drier and doesn't keep as long. I figure if I am only making it once in a while, at least it doesn't have any preservatives in it, and it's better than buying bread.
This recipe makes 6 loaves of bread. Why go through all the hassle for 1 or 2 loaves? If I bake them all, I hand some out to friends and neighbors. Otherwise I will freeze the dough to make a fresh loaf another day. This bread WILL make your meal special.......
Way Good Homemade Bread
1/4 c. yeast....................(I buy it bulk and keep it in the freezer)
2 c. warm water............(too hot will kill the yeast)
1/2 c. sugar or honey....(use a little less honey)
1 c. dry milk..................(another reason not to make it too often)
1 qt. warm water
1/2 c. lard or coconut oil
1/8 c. salt
12 c. flour......................(at least use unbleached :-)
In a super large 12 or 13 qt. bowl, mix the yeast, 2 c. of warm water, sugar/honey, and the dry milk. Let it sit a couple of minutes. Mix the lard/coconut oil in the 2 qts of warm water. Let it melt some. (it won't melt all the way) and pour into yeast mixture. Add salt and flour. Mix well with spoon or hand dough hook, or your dough hook on your processor. When it is totally mixed, cover with a wet dish towel and let it rise to double.
Get the pans ready that you will be using. I use regular bread pans, a french loaf pan, a small 4 loaf pan, or sometimes I just make it a rustic round loaf. You could make them into buns too. Spray the pans.
When done rising punch down and cut the dough with a knife, in half. Flour your table so the dough won't stick when you are working it. Pull out half and cut into three sections. Work one section on the floured table, you can either stretch and pull the dough, or knead the dough for a good 10-15 times. Keep sprinkling flour so things don't stick too bad. Shape the loaf according to your pan shape and plop it in. If it isn't beautiful -- who cares, it will taste wonderful! Repeat with the other 5 loaves, unless you will be freezing some. In that case, knead it, put it in a qt. size freezer bag, and immediately into the freezer. (don't wait for the others to get bagged up -- it will start raising right away) These I will pretty much make into a rustic round loaf.
When all the loaves are in the pans, wet your dishcloth again and lay it over the top as they rise. When they are 1/2 - 2/3 way up in the pans, turn on your oven to 350 degrees. When your oven is hot, put in the bread and bake until the crust is golden brown and when you snap it with your finger it gives a little hollow sound. When done, take out the pans and let cool a little while on cooling racks, but, the loaves have to come out of the pans soon or you will have a soggy bottom crust. They should just pop out with a little nudge from a knife. If they don't --- just keep struggling until you drop the whole pan on the floor, and then it will just pop right out :-) --- on to the floor. (That's what happened to me last time :-)
If you time this so the bread comes out of the oven hot just before supper ---- perfect.
Well, my day is getting away from me and I won't have time to actually make the bread today. As soon as I do have time I will take pictures and re-post this for you. Enjoy!!
This recipe makes 6 loaves of bread. Why go through all the hassle for 1 or 2 loaves? If I bake them all, I hand some out to friends and neighbors. Otherwise I will freeze the dough to make a fresh loaf another day. This bread WILL make your meal special.......
Way Good Homemade Bread
1/4 c. yeast....................(I buy it bulk and keep it in the freezer)
2 c. warm water............(too hot will kill the yeast)
1/2 c. sugar or honey....(use a little less honey)
1 c. dry milk..................(another reason not to make it too often)
1 qt. warm water
1/2 c. lard or coconut oil
1/8 c. salt
12 c. flour......................(at least use unbleached :-)
In a super large 12 or 13 qt. bowl, mix the yeast, 2 c. of warm water, sugar/honey, and the dry milk. Let it sit a couple of minutes. Mix the lard/coconut oil in the 2 qts of warm water. Let it melt some. (it won't melt all the way) and pour into yeast mixture. Add salt and flour. Mix well with spoon or hand dough hook, or your dough hook on your processor. When it is totally mixed, cover with a wet dish towel and let it rise to double.
Get the pans ready that you will be using. I use regular bread pans, a french loaf pan, a small 4 loaf pan, or sometimes I just make it a rustic round loaf. You could make them into buns too. Spray the pans.
When done rising punch down and cut the dough with a knife, in half. Flour your table so the dough won't stick when you are working it. Pull out half and cut into three sections. Work one section on the floured table, you can either stretch and pull the dough, or knead the dough for a good 10-15 times. Keep sprinkling flour so things don't stick too bad. Shape the loaf according to your pan shape and plop it in. If it isn't beautiful -- who cares, it will taste wonderful! Repeat with the other 5 loaves, unless you will be freezing some. In that case, knead it, put it in a qt. size freezer bag, and immediately into the freezer. (don't wait for the others to get bagged up -- it will start raising right away) These I will pretty much make into a rustic round loaf.
When all the loaves are in the pans, wet your dishcloth again and lay it over the top as they rise. When they are 1/2 - 2/3 way up in the pans, turn on your oven to 350 degrees. When your oven is hot, put in the bread and bake until the crust is golden brown and when you snap it with your finger it gives a little hollow sound. When done, take out the pans and let cool a little while on cooling racks, but, the loaves have to come out of the pans soon or you will have a soggy bottom crust. They should just pop out with a little nudge from a knife. If they don't --- just keep struggling until you drop the whole pan on the floor, and then it will just pop right out :-) --- on to the floor. (That's what happened to me last time :-)
If you time this so the bread comes out of the oven hot just before supper ---- perfect.
Well, my day is getting away from me and I won't have time to actually make the bread today. As soon as I do have time I will take pictures and re-post this for you. Enjoy!!
Tuesday
Bread Dipping Oil
Bread Dipping Oil
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1/2. tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. paprika
This is especially yummy with homemade bread. ---- Which is tomorrows post :-)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1/2. tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. paprika
This is especially yummy with homemade bread. ---- Which is tomorrows post :-)
Monday
Planting Geraniums
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| You can see that even in the basement it was trying to green up. |
They never look like they could come to life, but they always do. In the fall, I pull all my geraniums, knock some of the dirt off the roots, bring them into the darkest part of the basement,and just lay them on newspaper. That's where they stay until about this time. I can't bear to buy geraniums every year when I know how easy it is to keep them. And with the prices in the greenhouses going up every year, well.... One of my goals is to start all of my flowers from seed, early in the house for some, and right in the ground for others. In the past I have been known for "over doing it" when it comes to buying flowers. I love the flowers for the hummingbirds, and the bees, and their pure beauty .
I will grow these geraniums in the house until mid April. Then they will get planted in my outdoor pots. They will be right next to the garage door, so it is easy to bring them in at night or if we have an exceptionally cold day with a lot of wind. By early May the pots will get planted with other flowers and get set where they will spend the summer. The bright red ones are my absolute favorite. Planting red geraniums,with double white petunias in a blue pot...beautiful.
Sunday
The Dogs Of Redtail Ridge
I don't think it's wise to live in the country without a dog. A little one will do, but, the bigger the better I think. A watch dog is important. When Billy barks his deep watch dog bark, there is no way I'd try to get in that house. He sounds vicious. A couple months ago, the doorbell rang at 9:00 at night. Why I did it I don't know, but I cracked open the door, only to hear the guy explain he wanted to sell me some steaks. Billy was barking his deep watch dog bark. I opened the door a little wider, and the guy backed down the steps off the porch pretty fast.
The whole situation scared me bad and I was so thankful for my "loud" dog.
When we are outside he will always alert me to someone driving in the driveway, or someone walking or hunting on the property behind us. I always have a "heads up" with him around.
I raised Billy for Leader Dogs For The Blind, but unfortunately (or fortunately :-) he did not make it. He was just too excitable. We had our choice of keeping him then, and we opted in right away. He has quite the personality. Besides his watch dog duties, he has become one of my husband's all time favorite hunting dogs. He is an exceptional house dog also, except for the occasional sandwich swiping. (We don't turn our backs when making a sandwich).
The other dog in the house is actually not our dog. She is owned by Leader Dogs For The Blind in Rochester Michigan. I received her when she was 6 wks. old and will have her until April 1st when she goes back to Leader Dog for her formal training in harness. Five more months with professional trainers, and then hopefully she will be paired with someone who is blind. A Leader Dog For the Blind can change someones life, and that is my goal with her. I am called the "socializer". I take her to as many places as possible to get her used to all kinds of situations. Trixy goes with me shopping and to church, and to everything in between. She is the seventh dog I have raised for Leader Dog. Right this minute she is under my desk as I am typing this. She is always where I am. That is a great quality for a Leader Dog. If you are blind, it's nice to know where your dog is.
It's always sad to drop them off at "college", but all along I have known she has a higher calling. She has work to do.
,,,,,dr momi
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| Billy our Golden Retriever |
I don't think it's wise to live in the country without a dog. A little one will do, but, the bigger the better I think. A watch dog is important. When Billy barks his deep watch dog bark, there is no way I'd try to get in that house. He sounds vicious. A couple months ago, the doorbell rang at 9:00 at night. Why I did it I don't know, but I cracked open the door, only to hear the guy explain he wanted to sell me some steaks. Billy was barking his deep watch dog bark. I opened the door a little wider, and the guy backed down the steps off the porch pretty fast.
The whole situation scared me bad and I was so thankful for my "loud" dog.
When we are outside he will always alert me to someone driving in the driveway, or someone walking or hunting on the property behind us. I always have a "heads up" with him around.
I raised Billy for Leader Dogs For The Blind, but unfortunately (or fortunately :-) he did not make it. He was just too excitable. We had our choice of keeping him then, and we opted in right away. He has quite the personality. Besides his watch dog duties, he has become one of my husband's all time favorite hunting dogs. He is an exceptional house dog also, except for the occasional sandwich swiping. (We don't turn our backs when making a sandwich).
 |
| Future Leader Dog Trixy, a Yellow Lab. If you are interested in raising a puppy, contact Leader Dogs For The Blind |
The other dog in the house is actually not our dog. She is owned by Leader Dogs For The Blind in Rochester Michigan. I received her when she was 6 wks. old and will have her until April 1st when she goes back to Leader Dog for her formal training in harness. Five more months with professional trainers, and then hopefully she will be paired with someone who is blind. A Leader Dog For the Blind can change someones life, and that is my goal with her. I am called the "socializer". I take her to as many places as possible to get her used to all kinds of situations. Trixy goes with me shopping and to church, and to everything in between. She is the seventh dog I have raised for Leader Dog. Right this minute she is under my desk as I am typing this. She is always where I am. That is a great quality for a Leader Dog. If you are blind, it's nice to know where your dog is.
It's always sad to drop them off at "college", but all along I have known she has a higher calling. She has work to do.
,,,,,dr momi
Friday
Ordered My Bees
I wanted a top bar hive because a regular hive gets so heavy when it is full of honey that I wouldn't be able to lift it myself. I guarantee you that even though he lovingly, and willingly built the hive, my husband will NOT help with working the hive. :-) A top bar hive I've heard, does not produce as much honey as a regular hive but does give you more beeswax. The bees actually build the honeycomb from a bar on the top that you can lift out to harvest the honey. I'll only be lifting "sections" of the honey harvest at a time. The sides of the hive are at an angle to discourage the bees from attaching the comb to the sides and preventing you from being able to lift it out. I'd love to use the beeswax in homemade lip balms, hand salve, and candles --- something else new to learn!
Getting the bees never was about a lot of honey, don't get me wrong, we will use it, but getting the bees is all about pollination for me. Wanting the bees starts with having a garden and orchard. I'm always interested in what grows a better garden.
There is lots of information on top bar beehives on the Internet. We got the building instructions from a couple different sites. The hive is built with untreated wood. The inside will stay untreated for the bees health, but the outside has to get painted ---- hhmmm how fancy should I get?
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| The bottom has a screen covering it or we can close it up with the hinged board during the winter. |
Now I did it. I really am going to be a beekeeper. .......so much odds and ends equipment to get. (as in protective clothing) The bees will be coming sometime in April. I ordered them because my husband just finished building me a top bar beehive. It only took him a couple of hours out of his perch fishing time. He says it is my Valentine's Day present :-) --- I'm thinking some roses will show up too.
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| The whole top gets covered with these smaller boards. These two will be at the ends so the bees can't build right up to the end. The rest of the boards are at my brother- in-laws to get a strip sawed down the middle of them. It will be the starting point for the comb to be built. |
Thursday
Scratchy Throat Tea
I have a scratchy throat today. Don't feel sick, just know it's there. I never let it get any further than that!! I attack. My favorite tea is Traditional Medicinals Organic Echinacea Plus. The box says to "drink 5-6 cups throughout the day when necessary to maintain a healthy immune response, gradually reducing the dose as conditions improve." I change it up a bit and use 2 tea bags to a cup of water 3 or 4 times a day. I always get results if I start early enough.
I love taking tea over say, echinacea capsules. The hot tea in contact with the "problem area", I think is important. I would keep a couple of tea bags at work so if that scratchy throat starts in, you don't have to wait "till you get home" to start drinking it. Hitting it early and fast is important. Traditional Medicinal Organic Echinacea Tea has echinacea root extract in it also. I believe that is why it works so well. If you decide to try it, please read the cautions, and contraindications, on the side of the box. I would not take it if I was allergic to plants in the daisy family or if I had an auto immune disease.
My next best "I have a cold tea" is mullein. I pick this in the field every year. It works better than pseudoephedrine at loosening phlegm, opening passage ways, and calming a cough. I so wish I had taken pictures last summer. And I wish I had picked more! I used some earlier this year and then handed it out to kids. I'm now out till, give or take June. Pictures will be coming this summer.
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| I drank this cup while writing this post :-) |
My next best "I have a cold tea" is mullein. I pick this in the field every year. It works better than pseudoephedrine at loosening phlegm, opening passage ways, and calming a cough. I so wish I had taken pictures last summer. And I wish I had picked more! I used some earlier this year and then handed it out to kids. I'm now out till, give or take June. Pictures will be coming this summer.
Wednesday
Log End Chicken Coop
Thirty miles northwest of Green Bay, (Go Pack) we missed the snow, but the wind is something else! This is when I am glad I have a log end chicken coop. I built it myself over a period of 2 1/2 years, though the back wall still needs some finishing. I made it with 18" Box Elder (a soft wood) logs and clay. So, the walls are 18 inches thick and I never worry about it getting too cold in the chicken coop. I worry more about making sure I have ventilation for moisture control. The clay is made with our soil, that has a lot of clay with just the right amount of sand in it, 1 inch snips of wild oat grass, and water.
It was such an experiment, I don't think anyone, including me, thought it might last long. But, here we are on year 6 and it is solid. I do a wheelbarrow load full of mud repairs each year, as the rain does a bit of erosion, but it is really nothing. I've been very happy with it.
The book Cordwood Building by Rob Roy is what got me interested in it. I had never built anything. I learned a lot --- like don't use a crooked 2x4 for the roof!!! But every time I look at it there is a sense of satisfaction. I built it by myself :-)
It was such an experiment, I don't think anyone, including me, thought it might last long. But, here we are on year 6 and it is solid. I do a wheelbarrow load full of mud repairs each year, as the rain does a bit of erosion, but it is really nothing. I've been very happy with it.
The book Cordwood Building by Rob Roy is what got me interested in it. I had never built anything. I learned a lot --- like don't use a crooked 2x4 for the roof!!! But every time I look at it there is a sense of satisfaction. I built it by myself :-)
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| That snow drift is 2 1/2 ft. high, but my chickens are warm :-) |
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